The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday issued a contempt notice to the State government for not complying with its orders on compensation to some victims whose shops in Ahmedabad were damaged or destroyed during the 2002 communal riots.
A Bench of Justices Akil Kureshi and C. L. Soni asked the District Collector to file his reply by March 14 explaining why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against the government.
The order was issued on a petition filed by 56 victims, whose shops in the Rakhial locality in old Ahmedabad were burnt down in the post-Godhra riots. The shopowners applied for compensation after the Centre had announced an additional relief package for the victims in February 2008.
The shopowners, through the Jan Sangharsh Manch, filed the petition as they failed to get any response from the Collectorate on their applications for compensation. In September last, the court directed the Collector to examine the applications and do the needful.
However, the applicants said, earlier this month they received a communication from the Collector's office that all 56 applications had been examined and their claims dismissed by the government in August 2011 itself.
The shopowners returned to the High Court with a contempt petition against the Collector and the State government. The petitioners contended that the Collector's office did not provide the court full facts of the case during the earlier hearing, as their applications were claimed to have been disposed of even a month before the court's order asking the government to examine the applications.
Comments:
Absolutely misleading title. A corrupt collector dosent do his job and hence the case and hence the notice. And as the the state govt. is the caretaker its been addressed to them. And also the matter is minor. There must be 100s of such cases in the country, Why highlight this one?
Does a government such as this, which continuously challenges, mocks and
obstructs the law of the land have any right to be in power, however
"development friendly" it might be?
There are several such situations in all states and highlighting such news in one state is
not appreciated by impartial readers.
Our democratic Institutions should not fail in the hands of politicians and bureaucrats. Where there is a successful case of that kind, autocrats replaced democracy.
The DM/DC should have been more responsible.More over matter is still not done and DM/DC is given a chance to explain the matter. At the same time it's a Shame to 'The Hindu' for focusing to much and unnecessary on Gujarat Administration. Please focus on major challenges and problems which our country is facing.
@ Vijay and G.v.venugopal...First if a collector is corrupt as you said, how he still continues in his job? who is responsible for that? I think the state government! It's a shame when we try to convince ourselves by saying it happens everywhere! what are you trying to imply? because it happens every where, it is not a fault or a mistake?